Chapter 604: Jubaolou’s business is bleak
When Sun Jikai hurriedly found the message Assistant Wang sent him and called Sun Maocai, he got the reply that the number was empty.
Yes, empty number.
After calling Assistant Wang and asking about it, Sun Jikai learned that the so-called Sun Maocai's phone number was exchanged by his grandfather after meeting Sun Maocai at a Cantonese cooking exchange meeting more than ten years ago.
After exchanging phone numbers, Sun Guanyun and Sun Maocai had no contact. They just recorded the phone number in the phone book and did not even save it in the mobile phone.
After more than ten years, it was normal for Sun Maocai to change his phone number.
"Assistant Wang, please ask for Master Sun Maocai's phone number through other means. When you get there, call him to inform him of the death of his grandfather and invite him to attend the funeral." Sun Jikai said.
"Okay." Assistant Wang said, "Besides this matter, is there anything else that needs to be conveyed?"
"No, sorry for bothering you." Sun Jikai hung up the phone, sighed and went back to the room.
Regardless of the secondary disease or unnecessary self-esteem, after he failed to call Sun Maocai, the idea of not asking Sun Maocai for help suddenly came to his mind.
He didn't want to hand over the future of Jubao Tower to an outsider he had never met, even if the outsider was his grandfather's younger brother.
Although it was treacherous to go against his grandfather's last wish, he wanted to use his own abilities to make the Treasure Building go further. Although Jubaolou's turnover has experienced a sharp decline due to temporary management chaos, the foundation is still there after all. Jubaolou has a mature chef team. As long as everything is on track and returns to normal, Jubaolou can return to its previous appearance.
As for how far he can go in the future, it depends on his own level.
Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi. Don’t bully young people into poverty.
.
On the other side, Jiang Feng booked a flight ticket that would leave in the afternoon and arrive in the evening.
Because time was tight, he, Wu Minqi and the old man hurried home after finishing their lunch business, packed their luggage and headed to the airport.
The three people's seats were connected together. The old man sat by the window, Jiang Feng sat in the middle, and Wu Minqi sat by the aisle.
Wu Minqi had closed her eyes to rest her mind since she got on the plane. Jiang Feng took out his mobile phone and read some offline novels. After that, he found that the old man was neither looking at his mobile phone nor watching the boring movies played on the plane. He tilted his head and looked at the blue sky and thin film outside the window. Yun was in a daze.
The old man has been in this state for two days.
"Grandpa." Jiang Feng whispered.
The old man turned to look at him.
"In fact, birth, old age, illness and death are all very normal things."
The old man had some doubts in his eyes.
"My...I mean, you don't have to be so...so...so sad." Jiang Feng thought for a long time before highlighting the word sad, but he felt that the old man's current situation was not sad. "Grandpa Sun is gone like this. It's really a pity, but..."
The old man suddenly laughed: "Do you think I am devastated, heartbroken, and in grief because that old guy Sun Guanyun left without saying a word?"
Jiang Feng:?
Grandpa, you don't play according to the routine.
"Am I the kind of sentimental person? I'm not your grandma." The old man said.
Jiang Feng:...
"I just suddenly remembered something." The old man looked out the window again. He didn't know what he was looking at. He might be looking at memories or the past.
"In the past two days, I have been thinking about something related to that old guy Sun Guanyun. There are too many things, so it is easy to get lost in thought." The old man said, "I'm fine."
Jiang Feng felt that the old man didn't seem to be okay.
"Let's stay a few more days when we go to FZ this time," the old man said.
"Huh?"
"I haven't been to Jubao Tower for many years. The last time I went was because Master Sun passed away. It's been decades. I can stay for two more days to see more."
.
The few hours on the plane passed in a blink of an eye. The old man stared out the window the whole time, watching the night fall from day to night and witnessing the whole scene of dusk.
Wu Minqi was woken up twice during the flight, once when the stewardess was distributing flight meals, and another time when the announcement was made before landing. Wu Minqi, who was woken up, was still a little confused, her eyes were sleepy, and her hair was a little messy. She asked Jiang Feng in confusion if he was almost there.
"I booked a hotel in the city center. Let's take a taxi there later. I'll put my luggage first and then go have something to eat." Wu Minqi said.
She didn't eat the plane meal at all, and now she was a little hungry.
"Well, what to eat?" Jiang Feng asked the most critical question.
"Go to the Treasure Building." The old man said.
Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi were both stunned, then nodded in agreement.
Because she was short on time, Wu Minqi searched for hotels online, picked one with convenient transportation and paid for the reservation. The location was indeed good, but the price was a little exaggerated. After the three of them put down their luggage, they took a taxi and headed straight to Treasure Building.
When he got off the bus, Jiang Feng felt a little like he was in another world.
Jubao Building has not changed at all, the same signboard, the same decoration, almost exactly the same as what he saw in his memory before, but the street scene outside has changed, the small road has become a big road, the bungalows no longer exist, replaced by High-rise buildings and busy traffic.
In memory, the treasure-collecting building that made people look up and feel majestic has become ordinary.
The old man took the lead and the three of them walked in.
Almost as soon as they walked in, the expressions of the three people changed slightly.
The old man frowned, while Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi were a little surprised.
It is now 8 o'clock in the evening. Logically speaking, this is the time when the restaurant's business is at its best. However, the occupancy rate in the lobby of Jubao Building is less than 30%. The business can be said to be quite deserted.
There were three waiters at the door. Only one younger one saw the three of them coming over and asked with a smile on his face: "Hello, are you three? Please come inside."
The waiter led the three people to the table for four by the window and pointed to the QR code on the table: "In our store, you can scan the code to order. If the elderly are not used to scanning the code to order, they can also use the menu. If you need a menu, I’ll get it now.”
"No need." The old man's expression softened slightly, "Can I still book Buddha Jumping over the Wall now?"
The waiter was stunned and said: "Yes, you can make a reservation today for tomorrow, both at noon and evening."
"Can I make a reservation for tomorrow?" The old man looked unhappy. "Can I make a reservation for anything? No membership or anything else is required."
The waiter was a little confused by the old man's attitude. He didn't understand why he was not happy that he could make reservations. He explained: "It's like this. Originally, Buddha Jumping over the Wall in our store required senior members to make reservations. But recently, the store has launched a discount. If ordinary guests do not have membership, they only need to pay a deposit to make reservations.”
"Then make me a reservation for three lunches the day after tomorrow." The old man said.
"Okay, I will give you an order later. Please leave your contact information and phone number, and then the deposit will be paid when you check out." The waiter said.
The old man nodded to express his understanding, and the waiter left.
"Just watch." The old man began to sit in a daze again.
Wu Minqi took out her mobile phone and scanned the QR code on the table and began to browse the menu. While browsing, she whispered to Jiang Feng: "Fengfeng, do you feel that the business of Jubaolou is a bit too deserted?"
Jiang Feng nodded, glanced at the old man secretly and saw that he had no reaction, and said, "It's so abnormal. Anyone can make a reservation for Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, and can make a reservation directly for tomorrow. Isn't Buddha Jumping Over the Wall one of Jubaolou's signature dishes?"
He had remembered for many years what the old man told Jiang Feng about the Buddha jumping over the wall in a small cup in Treasure House 1888.
"Look, many dishes are not available." Wu Minqi pointed to the menu on the mobile phone screen, which showed that many fresh seafood were sold out.
"Let's see if there's baked lobster in soup." Jiang Feng said.
Wu Minqi turned back and shook her head: "Sold out."
Since many dishes on the menu were sold out for unknown reasons, the two of them could only order a few dishes they had eaten before, and then began to look at the guests in the lobby.
Having said that, the decoration of Jubao Building is quite good. As someone who also owns a single-family restaurant and has seen the interior decoration of Jubao Building decades ago, Jiang Feng can fairly comment that Jubao Building must have spent a lot of money on the subsequent renovations. It has a simple texture but also incorporates some modern elements. It looks very comfortable, but the menu is uncomfortable to look at. It is sold out and everyone feels uncomfortable.
Although the menu was not satisfactory, the food was served quickly. Within a few minutes, the first dish Jiang Feng and the others ordered was on the table.
After tasting the chopsticks, Jiang Feng understood why Jubaolou's business was so deserted.
The taste is actually okay, not unpleasant, but it is not worthy of the price of the dishes at Jubaolou.
It tastes casual.
It feels like you feel that your mother doesn’t want to cook and just cooks two dishes to fool you. Although you have no evidence, you can eat it.
Jiang Feng casually turned over the stir-fried lotus root on the plate and found that it was cut very perfunctorily. It seemed that the chef at Duntou had cut it out of laziness. As a well-known high-end restaurant, it is theoretically impossible for this kind of dish to be brought to the table for guests to taste, but such a dish appeared on their table, and it still appeared at the price of 58 yuan.
Babao Zhai wouldn't dare to do this. Although their food is expensive, it certainly won't make you feel casual. It will just make you feel that their chef is not good at it.
The same goes for the next few dishes, with everything from the knife work to the fire work feeling perfunctory. Jiang Feng believes that the chefs at Jubaolou are still capable, but it seems that no one is willing to work. I don't know if Jubaolou has delayed wages or something else.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that Jubaolou's business is so deserted.
Jiang Feng had observed carefully that from the time they came in to the time they ordered and now half of the food was eaten, there was only one customer in the store, and the table sitting behind them was currently ordering.
"Waiter." The customer at the table behind Jiang Feng waved to the waiter, and the waiter who led Jiang Feng and the others in before ran over.
"Hello sir, do you need anything?" the waiter asked.
"Can I book Buddha Jumping Over the Wall now?" the guest asked.
"Yes, you can make reservations for tomorrow's Buddha Jumping Over the Wall now. Ordinary customers can make reservations as long as they pay a deposit." The waiter said.
"Then help me make a reservation for the day after tomorrow. I have something to do tomorrow." The middle-aged man said.
Hearing that the guests at the back table had also booked the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall the day after tomorrow, Jiang Feng couldn't help but feel a little surprised and turned to look at him.
He is a middle-aged man in a suit, in his forties or fifties. He looks like a successful man because he looks very aura.
He didn't know if he was a famous person, because Jiang Feng looked familiar to him, as if he had seen him somewhere before, so he couldn't help but take a second look.
The middle-aged man noticed Jiang Feng looking back at him, met his gaze and smiled at him, then froze.
Jiang Feng:?
The middle-aged man stood up and walked towards Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng:? ? ?
He crossed Jiang Feng and came to Jiang Weiguo, who was staring at the dishes on the table in a trance, with a not so good look on his face.
"Senior Brother Jiang, long time no see." (End of Chapter)